ASEAN–Australia Development Cooperation Program

ASEAN, a key association to connect Southeast Asian nations, was founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand in 1967, and later joined by Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

At the end of AAECP Phase III, AADCP was formed to continue to provide support to regional economic development by strengthening collaboration between ASEAN and Australia.

[12] Launched in 1999, Program Stream (PS) consisted of twelve main projects to help ASEAN integrate into one market by focusing on the quality and safety of agricultural and food products.

[11] The first four PS projects cover areas including e-commerce, skill-recognition systems, fruit and vegetable quality control, and fishery products.

[7] Regional Partnership Schemes (RPS) facilitated 29 small-scale projects by establishing collaboration between the Australian government and ASEAN partners.

[15][16] Major delays occurred at the start of AADCP II due to difficulties in funding management and program development.

The 2012 assessment result suggested that there was a need to improve management systems within ASEAN and to build personal relationships to facilitate program implementation and economic integration.

Additionally, based on previous feedback, the project management system was strengthened by increasing the capacity of ASEAN secretaries, which can help facilitate future programs more efficiently.

[19] This research study was published by the Farm-made Aquafeeds Organisation (FAO) and AADCP to help improve economical feeding and production strategies.

[20] This REPSF research project provides a comprehensive assessment of the progress and achievements of the Ha Noi Plan of Action (HPA), which is considered the first program contributing to ASEAN's Vision 2020.

AADCP continues this tradition in order to provide regional areas a more advanced management system in regulation risks associated with product export and diseases.

The challenges with related programs are that not all ASEAN countries have surplus products for exporting, thus decreasing the need to achieve internationally recognized standards.